In the Still of the Night

In a late response to growing community anger over rising rates of crime and nightlong noise pollution from Kuta’s nightspots, the Head of the Badung Tourism Office, Tjokorda Raka Darmawan, has promised to improve enforcement.

According to Bisnis.Bali, following unilateral action taken by hundreds of local residents to close down errant nightspots, Raka Darmawan has admitted the shortcomings of his office, saying on Thursday, March 1, 2012: “We admit there has been weak enforcement in the past. This is due to our limitations in the field. Because of this, in the future we will tighten enforcement by involving the relevant components.”

He told the press that his office is in the process of preparing a circular notice limiting the hours of operations for nightspots. Raka Darmawan said the announcement would be made upon his return from a tourism promotional trip to ITB-Berlin after March 11, 2012.

While local citizens are demanding a 2:00 a.m. closing time, it appears the regulation to be enforced by Badung officials will stipulate a 3:00 a.m. closing time.

Raka Darmawan is promising to strictly enforce the new rules by involving elements of the police and local citizenry. He has also promised a system of warnings culminating in eventual closure by nightspots that choose to ignore the rules.